Envelop



it of its contents.

provide a simple, durable,

PATENT OFFICE.

P HINEAS E. GILLETTE, OF GRASS ONE-HALF TO HARRY VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, LEVITT, OF SAMIQPLACE.

ASSIGNOR OF ENVELOP;

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'599,960, dated March 1, 1898. I Application filed October 7, 1896. Serial No. 608,097. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHINEAS E. GILLETTE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Grass.

Valley, in the county of Nevada and State of California-,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to an improvement in envelops, and has for its object to and inexpensive safety-envelop provided with means for preventing the surreptitious opening of the same and for facilitating the opening or unsealing of the envelop for the purpose of delivering To the accomplishment of this and other objects subordinate thereto I- provide an envelop-blank consisting of an oblong body partprovided with an inside flap of correlative size and shape, substantially semicircular end flaps, and aback or sealing flap of peculiar shape having an auxiliary flap or tab designed to be bent over the edge of the envelop, to be inserted in a slit in the body part or portion, and to be gummedor sealed to the inside of said body portion when the envelop is in asealed position, the end flaps being provided with sealing-tabs cut from them along the edges of the sealing-flap and designed to be sealed upon the outside of the latter.

.the sealing-flap and to one The blank so formed is then provided with an opening-string extending along the edge of the body part adjacent to of the end flaps and having one end projecting, as illustrated,

to facilitate the opening of the envelop by taking hold of the extremity of the openingstring and by a sharp pull severing the material along the end and one of the side edges.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my envelop sealed and stamped. Fig. 2 is a back view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the stamp being removed; and Fig. at is a view of the blank from which the envelop-is made.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates the substantially oblong body portion or front of the envelop, provided upon one side with an integral back or inside flap the opposite end of the have been turned 2, correlative in size and shape with the body portion 1, and upon its opposite side with a sealing-flap 3, having an inclined edge 4, extending from the end of the body portion, and a compoundly-curved edge 5, extending from body portion and converging toward the inclined edge at the base of the substantially square auxiliary or sealing tab 6, designed when the envelop is sealed to be bent over its edge and to be secured in the manner hereinafter specified.

7 and 8 indicate substantially semicircular end flaps projecting from the body part and provided with sealing-tabs 9, out therefrom, which fold over the edges of the sealing-flap and are secured thereto by adhesive when the flaps are in the sealed position. The body portion 1 is provided with a slit 10, disposed parallel to one of its side edges and adjacent to one end, and the end flaps are provided with an adhesive material. The back flap. 2 is turned upon the body part 1, and the end flaps are turned down behind the backflap andare gummed to its rear surface. Supposing now that it is desired to seal the envelop, the letter orotherinclosure is in serted through the opened edge of the envelop adjacent to the sealing-flap, and said sealing-flap is then turned down upon the end flaps and may or may not be secured thereto by an adhesive material, and the sealing-tabs 9 are turned down upon the sealing-flap along its opposite edges and serve to secure the seal ing-flap in sealed position, it being impossible to subject the several gummed layers to the process of steaming without softening the paper and causing the sealing-tabs 9 to become curled and distorted and thereby evidencing the surreptitious entry. It will be observed, further, that as the sealing-tabs are cut from the material of the end flaps any attempt to steam of detaching the sealing-flap after the tabs back will, by reason of the interposition of the single layer of material,

the envelop for the purpose so moisten the letter within the envelop that the ink adjacent to the openings left in the end flap's will run and furnish still another evidence or the attempt to open the envelop. While this feature of my invention makes it practically impossible for the sealing-flap to be turned back without detection after the envelop has once been sealed, I prefer to make assurance doubly sure by turning the auxiliary sealing-tab 6 over the edge of the envelop and inserting its extremity through the slit 10 and by sealing it by suitable adhesive material to the inside of the front or body portion 1. The stamp is then aflixed by sticking it upon the envelop over the auxiliary sealing-flap, the latter being in this manner securely locked in place or sealed by a fragile seal-to wit, the stamp-which must be broken before the auxiliary tab is accessible, and even then it will be necessary to steam the front or address portion of the envelop in order to release the tab, which operation could not be performed without distorting the material along the edges of the slit 10.

The organization of my invention thus far described constitutes a safety-envelop which it is impossible to open without detection; but in order that the recipient of the missive may effect the opening or unsealing I provide an opening-string along the edge of the body part adjacent to its juncture with the sealingflap and continuously along the edge of said body part adjacent to one of the end flaps, the short end projecting beyond the upper right-hand corner of the envelop, by means of which the string may be caused to sever the material along the end and one side. Itwill be noted that the sealing-flap has been described as having its opposite edges inclined and compoundly curved, respectively, and it will now be evident why this peculiar form has been adopted, as it will be seen, first, that the edges must converge in order that the auxiliary tab may be formed of a proper size to be covered by the stamp; second, that the compoundly-curved edge is necessary in order that the sealing-flap will extend sufficiently upon the end flap 7, and, further, that the inclined edge of the sealing-flap is provided in order that the auxiliary flap may be located a sufficient distance from the projecting extremity of the opening-string to permit the affixing of the stamp without interfering with the latter.

- From the foregoing it will be observed that I have produced an exceedingly durable and absolutely safe receptacle or envelop which may be readily opened by the proper person, but which cannot be opened surreptitiously without detection.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A safety-envelop provided with a slit in its front and with sealing-tabs cut from the material of the envelop along the edges of the sealing-flap when the envelop is sealed, a sealing-flap designed to be secured beneath the sealing-tabs and provided with an auxiliary sealing-tab designed to'be passed through the slit in the front of the envelop and to be secured to the inner side of the latter, substantiall y as specified.

2. An envelop consisting of a front or body portion provided with a slit, an imperforate back flap correlative in size and shape with the body portion and folded thereupon, end flaps provided with sealing-tabs out therefrom within their edges, the end flaps being secured to the outer surface of the back flap, and a sealing-flap extending from the edge of the body part opposite the back flap and provided with a comparatively narrow auxiliary sealingfiap designed to be folded over the edge of the envelop and to be inserted within the slitin the body part and to be sealed to the inside thereof, the sealing-tabs cut from the end flaps being provided with an adhesive material whereby they are secured upon the outer surface of the sealing-flap along its edges when said sealing-flap is turned down upon the end flaps, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PIIINEAS E. GILLETTE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM BEE, A. Lucas. 

